SEOUL: South Korea will assist rehome virtually half 1,000,000 canine bred for meals and provides canine farmers subsidies and incentives to assist them put together for a ban the observe set to take impact in early 2027, the agriculture ministry mentioned on Thursday (Sep 26).
In January, parliament handed a Invoice to ban the consuming and promoting of canine meat, ending the controversial centuries-old custom in a rustic that has seen rising assist for animal welfare and a waning urge for food for the meals.
Park Beom-su, vice agriculture minister, mentioned the federal government would spend about 100 billion received (US$75 million) on incentives for canine breeders, farmers and eating places to encourage them to close their companies.
Farmers can even rise up to 600,000 received (US$452) for every canine they give up, and the authorities will try to get as many of those animals adopted, or rehomed in shelters, he added.
“Though many are involved the remaining canine may be euthanized or lots of them may very well be processed for consumption over the following three years, I can actually say, that’s not our plan,” Park mentioned.
Consuming canine meat was as soon as seen as a means to enhance stamina within the humid Korean summer season, however the observe has change into uncommon as extra Koreans think about canine as pets and as criticism of how the canine are slaughtered has grown.
South Korea has greater than 1,500 canine breeding farms and greater than 200 canine slaughter homes. Some 2,300 eating places nonetheless serve canine meat.
Assist for the ban, which takes impact in February 2027, has grown underneath President Yoon Suk Yeol, an animal lover who owns six canine and eight cats with First Girl Kim Keon Hee, who can be a vocal critic of consuming canine meat.
The federal government’s plan, nonetheless, drew criticism from some animal activists and members of the canine meat trade.
Sangkyung Lee, a marketing campaign supervisor at animal rights group Humane Society Worldwide, mentioned that whereas the plan marked an essential milestone, the authorities want to raised handle the welfare of the animals not being bred for meals.
“There is no such thing as a means animal shelters can absorb that vast variety of canine,” he informed Reuters, noting that fewer than 10 per cent of pets in South Korea have been rescued animals.
Ju Yeongbong, who represents a canine meat trade group, mentioned the federal government subsidies have been inadequate, and vowed to battle for higher assist.”That is our livelihood and if the federal government needs us to desert it, extra cheap assist plans ought to comply with,” Ju mentioned.
